Speaking on the first day of the NATO summit, Mark Rutte said low European defense spending had been a ‘pebble in the shoe’ for the Trump administration.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands—NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte praised U.S. President Donald Trump for his efforts to bring peace to Ukraine and urged European countries to stop worrying about the White House reducing its commitment to the alliance.
Speaking on the first day of the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Rutte on Tuesday described the low levels of defense spending by European countries as a “pebble in the shoe” that had irritated Trump and other U.S. politicians.
Trump is due to make a brief appearance at the summit, which will conclude on Wednesday with new defense spending targets being set.
A target of 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) for each member country is expected to be agreed upon, more than doubling the 2 percent benchmark set during a summit in Wales in 2014.
The target includes 3.5 percent of GDP for core military spending and 1.5 percent for security-related infrastructure.
Rutte began his remarks at the NATO Public Forum on Tuesday by welcoming Germany’s commitment to defense spending.
He said, “Germany said yesterday it would reach 3.5 percent, not in 2035, but in 2029.”
Last week, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said, “I’d like to confirm that Sweden will reach a new NATO spending target of 5 percent of GDP, where at least 3.5 percent of GDP will be allocated towards core defence requirements to fulfill NATO’s new capability target.”
Rutte mentioned Sweden’s commitment on Tuesday and also praised Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Finland, which he said had nearly reached the 5 percent threshold.
‘Staggering’ Pace of Russian Production
He said NATO needed to increase its spending on defense because “Russia is reconstituting itself at a pace that is really staggering.”
Rutte said Russia is currently producing more military hardware and ammunition in three months than all of Europe produces in a year. He pointed out that the Russian economy is a fraction of the size of the rest of Europe.
